1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an intermediate sheet storage apparatus which is suitable for example for automatic service machines in which a plurality of banknotes are received as payment for the furnishing of a service and may only be accepted after the service has been furnished or, if that is not possible, returned to a user.
2. Description of the Prior Art
German patent specification No. 2 619 620 describes an intermediate storage apparatus for the short-term storage of sheets of paper. The sheets of paper which have already been put into intermediate storage are held fast in a bundle between transportation belts and are pushed to and fro as a pack, for the purposes of deposit of a further sheet thereon. Such operation subjects the sheets to a mechanical loading.
In an apparatus in accordance with European patent application EP 251 833, a single sheet may be put into intermediate storage in a pocket, while a further sheet may already be accommodated in the pocket before the first sheet is entirely removed from the pocket.
Swiss patent application No. 02 566/90-1, filed on Aug. 6, 1990, and its corresponding U.S. patent application entitled "Apparatus for Stacking Sheets" by Andre Gerlier, which is being filed on even date herewith and is now U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,149 (both of which are incorporated herein as if printed in full below), describe an apparatus for stacking sheets in which a carriage which is displaceable over at least one stack alters the geometry of transportation belts by means of guide rollers in order to deposit the sheet on the stack without the transportation belts or the sheet to be deposited sliding on the previous top sheet of the stack.